| dc.description.abstract | Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is one of the major global public health challenges in the
21st century, undermining socio-economic development around the world1. In low-resource
settings, NCDs drain household resources due to the associated high healthcare costs, and
often cause income loss, resulting in poverty. The main types of NCDs are cardiovascular
diseases (CVD), diabetes, cancers, and chronic respiratory diseases (CRD) and these share
four risk factors: harmful alcohol use, unhealthy diet, tobacco use, and physical inactivity2.
Furthermore, mental health is a growing chronic health concern, often co-existing with other
non-communicable diseases3. An estimated 41 million annual deaths are caused by NCDs
worldwide, and nearly 80% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries
(LMICs)4. Kenya, like many other LMICs, is experiencing an increasing burden of NCDs5 with
NCDs accounting for 39% of all deaths, over half of the hospital admissions, and more than
half of hospital deaths6. | en_US |
